


where the lost goes when it finds you

by MyShameMachine



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Abusive Parents, Armchair Therapy, Bullying, Gen, Group Therapy, Minor Character Death, Post-Canon, Tags Are Hard, both also only mentioned/implied but just in case, mentioned - Freeform, sort of? it's a support group
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-12
Updated: 2019-10-12
Packaged: 2020-12-09 15:04:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20996789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyShameMachine/pseuds/MyShameMachine
Summary: Dudley Dursley stumbles upon a wizarding support group from after the war. Strangely enough, these people seem to understand him.





	where the lost goes when it finds you

**Author's Note:**

> hi i hope this is well edited and isn't too out of character. im really busy and don't really have time to check those things so feel free to point out any errors
> 
> hope you enjoy!

Dubiously, Dudley checked the pamphlet and the sign on the door. Neither had a lot of information, if he was being honest. "The Broken Hearts Club," the pamphlet shouted in red text, and a picture of a round table with people all around it was shown. "It gets better," is typed below that.

The back, oddly enough, is blank.

The sign is written in smudged ink, the lamination cracking off the corners, and a corner comes off in his hand as the door creaks open.

"- late again, what did I- oh!" Says a woman upon his entry. She puts her hand on her mouth, and Dudley can't help but notice the scarring on her face. It doesn't look like she was expecting a newcomer, and fear ices Dudley's stomach.

"Er- hello." Dudley says, crossing his arms. In the room, a slightly warped round table sits the centerpiece. Sitting around the table are the scarred woman, a teenager with dirty blond hair, and a man in horned rim glasses with a shock of red hair.

"You're all so young," he blurts out.

"You don't look terribly old either." Says the teenager, who sweeps his hand through his hair and looks at the redhead.

Before either of them can say anything, a blond man pushes past Dudley.

"Sorry I'm late- wait, who're you?" He says, squinting at Dudley.

"We should all introduce ourselves. I'm Percy, Percy Weasley." The redhead says, pushing up his glasses.

Weasley.

"Do you happen to know a Harry Potter?" He bursts out, stepping backwards because if these people knew Harry they'd have opinions on him-

"Oh thank God!" The woman says, her voice almost an exhale, as she slaps her hands on the table. Percy exhales as well, looking over at him.

"Who are you, then? How much do you know?" Percy sounds weary, like he's asked this question a million times and never gotten a good answer.

"I'm Dudley, Dudley Dursley. And I-" Percy cuts him off, "You're Harry's Muggle cousin then." His eyes narrow somewhat, and Dudley wonders exactly what he's heard about him, and pauses a minute. 

"…. Yes. D'you mean know about," Dudley lowers his voice, looking around surreptitiously for a second out of habit before straightening his head. "Magic?"

"Yes." The pale blond man rolls his eyes, waving for him to continue.

"Not much, but…" Dudley admits, a prickle of shame swaddling his shoulders. "Harry went to a magic school and had a godfather who was a murderer who died, I think? There was some villain bloke, I think, Voldy something, but he died. And! And you have creatures that can suck my soul right out! But Harry saved me. Even though I treated him like …" His voice rises a little here, as he remembers, then quiets, trailing off.

The woman looks at Percy, who shrugs.

"It doesn't matter." He says, then turns to Dudley. "Welcome, Dudley."

"We should introduce ourselves, right? I'm Dennis, Dennis Creevey." The teenager says, leaning back in his chair.

"Lavender Brown." The woman says, nodding at him.

"Draco." Says the blond man, and Dudley decides not to ask.

Draco finally sits down, crashing into a chair, and Dudley follows suit, albeit more timidly.

"How've things been with your family, Percy?" Lavender asks, after an awkward second.

"A little better. I finally went home yesterday." Percy said, staring down at the table. "It went okay."

"Everything good?" Draco asks, putting a hand on Percy's shoulder.

"Ginny was angry I wasn't at her wedding. It's fair, I should have been, I'm just a prat." Percy spat, bitterly. "It's hard, sometimes. How was I supposed to jump back in? I hardly know them anymore."

"Just keep going. Eventually, they should let you back…" Dennis trailed off.

"Yes, I suppose they will. They've always been noble like that." Percy looked down again, sighing.

It was the same everywhere, Dudley thought in wonder. Families who didn't quite match you.

"They love you, right?" Dudley bursts out. Because, they're magic, can't they fix this? And Percy is still somebody's son, somebody's brother. But so was Harry, and Dudley still didn't understand why Mum had hated him so. He'd been so much better than Dudley ever had…

Dudley realized he'd zoned out.

"...they do! And that's why it's so difficult sometimes…" Percy sighed, deeply, and Dudley wished he'd caught whatever Percy said.

"I'm not getting into my sob story today," Draco said, sharply.

"You heard what he knows about our world anyway, Mal-" Dennis cut himself off, both of them wincing. "Draco. Sorry. Anyway, I don't think whatever you have to say would make much sense to him anyway."

"Or we could ask him what he's here for." Lavender suggested, with the air of someone just resisting rolling her eyes. Four expectant faces turned to Dudley, though Percy's took a second to snap up from the table.

"No pressure, of course, Dudley, we simply thought you might benefit from a little sharing." Percy added, a little pompously.

"Well…" Dudley began, hesitating. "I don't know how well known this is, but, my mum and dad, they didn't like magic. They didn't like Harry much because of that, I guess. They didn't treat him nicely, and I." Dudley swallowed, watching everyone to see their reactions.

"You joined in, didn't you." Draco said. It wasn't a question, and it wasn't a judgment, just a statement of fact. Draco sounded almost… thoughtful.

"Yes." Dudley croaked, burying his face in his hands.

"I suspected something like that. Harry was always so small, and he was always so … Upset isn't the right word, but that's how he was after spending time with his relatives. I remember wishing I could have done something, especially in the summer before sixth year… I'm rambling, aren't I?" Percy muttered.

"It's alright." Dudley said, sighing.

"I- It's not just you. Do you know who I was, Dudley? You aren't the only one who treated Harry like shit." Draco sighed, putting his head in his hands, shoulders shaking. "And it's half our parents fault, but we can't say that, because we did it. If we hadn't been so fucking shortsighted, so obedient! But we were kids. We were. Kids." His voice was squeaky, cracking, and he sounded as if he were crying.

"We all did dumb stuff when we were kids, Draco. We all followed our parents because we couldn't believe they were wrong and for you it was just too late after. Why do you think I dated Ron?" Lavender scooted closer to him, throwing an arm over his shoulder. Draco gulped an inhale.

"That's different," Draco choked out, and Percy suddenly looked awkward.

"Yes, okay- not the best metaphor. But…" Lavender looked up, castings pleading look around the table, and Dennis leaned forward.

"Look, Draco. There's no use looking at Before." Before, it seemed, should be capitalized. He was only what, fourteen? But Dennis looked worn, almost, like he'd lived too long and seen too much.

"We were all dumb kids before. Yeah, you made mistakes. Like you said, we were kids. It's- we can't fix it, and there's no point in looking back. You were, let's be blunt, a shitty person. Right?" Dennis asked, and Draco nodded at him, seemingly entranced.

"Well, don't be any more. It's not going to be instant, but work on it. That's all anyone can do. Feeling sorry for yourself isn't going to do anything." Dennis leaned back on two chair legs, seemingly satisfied, before pitching forward again.

"Hey, Dudley, is it? I think that'd work well enough for you as well." Dennis seemed more hesitant here, scared of pushing somewhere that would bruise.

Dudley waited, nodding hesitantly.

"I think… I need to get away from my family." He whispered, staring off into a corner.

"Sometimes you do. I… I did. Do you have any, any questions? On how to do it without feeling like you're cutting up your heart with a pair of safety scissors." Draco nodded at Dudley, whispering. In that second, Dudley realized Draco was a balloon of hope, and he was being trusted not to pop him. And Dudley realized- he didn't want to.

"No…. I've got it. But thanks." Dudley replied, making sure to be polite. He glanced about the table quickly, realizing Percy's lips were pursed, like he wanted to say something.

"Percy?" Dudley ventured, keeping his gaze on him.

"I'm dreadfully sorry, I was going to keep my mouth shut for once. It's just- make sure that you actually want to be apart. I left my family and I'll regret it all of my natural life." Percy's mouth twisted violently downward. "I betrayed them, and no matter what they say, it's never going to be the same. I know that. And I don't want anyone to make my mistakes."

Percy was definitely vehement in his beliefs, Dudley decided, thinking, does he really want to do this? But Percy was talking again.

"Now! From what I've heard, you're making the right decision. If they repent, truly-" Percy hesitated, pushing up his glasses. Dennis jumped back in, saying-

"Forgive them. You only have so much time before you lose someone." Dennis finished, confident in the way that only someone who has swallowed a lesson they cannot spit out is.

"Look- people make silly decisions when they love someone too much, or not enough, or not in the right way- love is weird. And they don't have to be bad people for it. Nobody's all bad or all good- everybody's both, and if no one can become better, everything stagnates. So don't be afraid to let them grow beyond this, even if you never quite forgive them. So yeah." Lavender said, gesturing as she spoke.

"Yeah, I'm going to do it. And I'll try to be… to do… everything you just said." Dudley said, trying to make sense of it all. It seemed pointless to cut someone out only to allow them to stitch themselves back in and be held only by thread, but these people seemed to know what they were talking about, so he'd certainly try.

"Anyway…" Percy checked his watch. "It's time to go."

"Of course, Weasley, " Draco said in a joking half-sneer, and Lavender pushed him gently.

Dudley got up, preparing to leave as he thought about everything he'd heard that day.

As he exited the door, someone put their hand on his shoulder, Dudley turned around.

It was Percy, Draco standing awkwardly behind him.

"Same time next week?" Percy asked, and Dudley could only nod.

Draco kept walking, right past them, but Dudley could have sworn he heard a whispered "good" as he passed them.

**Author's Note:**

> i hope you liked whatever this is
> 
> Hopefully I can post again sometime but i am very busy so it may be a while
> 
> also feel free to tell me if i should add any tags
> 
> Title is from "the broken hearts club" by gnash.


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